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With the graduation of Tom Flacco – the Towson University quarterback who was a Walter Payton Award finalist for FCS offensive player of the year – and no clear heir apparent for his role or spring practice to identify him, this might be as good a year as ever for his position coach to move on. From FootballScoop:Per source, Towson quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Scott Van Zile has accepted the head coaching job at St. Paul’s school (Brooklandville, MD). We understand that offensive quality control coach Drew Rodriguez will now coach the quarterbacks and receivers coach Justin Harper is adding the pass game coordinator title and duties.Dartmouth, of course, is scheduled to play at Towson on Sept. 26.
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As I do every year at this time, I've been working on profiles of the incoming class of football recruits. As part of that effort I dig up all the notes about the players that I've collected over the course of the previous six months or so (thank goodness for Evernote), make additions and corrections to the profiles with information from questionnaires that trickle in from the recruits, and sit down with Coach Buddy Teevens in his office to quiz him about members of the class.Things are a little different this year, of course. Instead of meeting with Coach Teevens I spoke at length with him over the phone last week. And while I've been able to improve the profiles of a handful of the incoming kids with information they shared with the sports publicity office, for most of the rest I am Googling and Googling and Googling. (Feel free to save my eyes, my fingers and what's left of my mind by sharing bio information HERE. ;-)
For a change of pace I spent all day yesterday working on the Class of '24 bios in the BGA World Headquarters mobile office (our VW camper) in the driveway, and while I was daydreaming I found myself wondering what the bios for this spring's NFL hopefuls looked like before they arrived on campus. To that end, I dug through my files and found these, which were expanded later in the summer as more information became available:
Niko Lalos, 6-4, 238, Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary’s HS – Recorded 39 solo stops, 17 assists, 10 tackles for a loss and two interceptions. Caught 11 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Offer sheet includes Air Force, Akron, Army, Ball State, Buffalo, Kent State and Ivies. Coach Teevens: “An outside linebacker/defensive end. A very, very athletic, physical guy who was offered by a lot of MAC schools. Ohio State made a push to get him as a preferred walk-on. We think he’s got a huge upside. He’s long like Nick Tomkins, and runs well.”
Isiah Swann, 6-0, 185, Chandler, Ariz./Chandler HS – NInth-ranked defensive back in Arizona per Scout.com. Arizona Division I all-state honorable mention. Credited by MaxPreps with 33 solo tackles, 19 assists, four interceptions and nine passes defended as Chandler went 11-2 and finished second in the state. Coach Teevens: “He had a number of options in and out of the Ivy League. He’s a highly disciplined, committed individual who will challenge for an opportunity pretty quick.”
Jared Gerbino, 6-4, 220, Rochester, N.Y./Rush-Henrietta HS – Passed for 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns, and despite playing on two sprained ankles ran for 676 yards and six touchdowns as a senior. All-Greater Rochester Area Offensive Player of the Year as a junior. Coach Teevens: “Another QB/A. A big, strong guy with growth potential. He should be competitive.”
Zach Sammartino, 6-4, 286, Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills HS – Originally looked at as a defensive lineman. Big and strong. And yes, he’s a (grand) nephew of Hall-of-Fame wrestler Bruno Sammartino. Teevens: “He’s a tough, physical guy as you might expect being related to Bruno. A very competitive guy. He is physically probably further along than most of the young guys coming in."
Hunter Hagdorn, 6-0, 187, Manvel, Texas/Manvel HS – Two-star receiver who caught 36 passes for 595 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 16.5 yards per reception. Finished high school career with 62 grabs for 992 yards. Offers from Illinois and Colorado State as well as Harvard and Cornell. Coach Teevens: “One of the top recruits in the Houston area. He’s had play from a lot of IA programs. He could contribute early."
Jackson Perry, 6-2, 275, Las Vegas, Nev./Bishop Gorman HS – Chose Dartmouth after originally deciding on Vanderbilt. Also drew interest from Nebraska and UCLA among others. ESPN three-star recruit out of one of the top high school programs in the nation. Teevens: "He is a heralded player who was offered I-A scholarships. He has a wrestler’s body control with good foot quickness, and has a chance to help right away.”
Green Alert Take: I wonder if four years from now I'll be looking at the bios of any of this year's recruits after they sign with NFL teams?
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A tweet from Tim Reynolds offers yet another Sign of the Apocalypse, as Sports Illustrated would call it:
AP Sources: FIU director of sports and entertainment Pete Garcia deferring salary for one year as part of university response to coronavirus-related financial issues.
Other fallout: 22 athletic department employees furloughed through July; men's indoor track and field dissolved.
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EXTRA POINTWe had pizza delivered for dinner yesterday (yes, there's delivery up here in the hinterlands of Vermont whereas we couldn't get it when we lived in rural Hanover) and before the 'za showed up I ran for my wallet for a little extra money to tip the delivery fellow. Finding my wallet filled with bills I joked that it might be starting to rust shut. That's pretty silly because it's not metal, but if it were metal I might not be able to pry it open without a can of 3-in-One. That's how long it's been since I've spent a single dollar.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm somewhat notorious in our family for being a little (a lot?) conservative when it comes to money. When you spend most of your career at a small newspaper and then try to make a go of it as a freelancer that's understandable. (To me, at least ;-)
The one thing Mrs. BGA and I have been known to splurge on is going to the movies. That said, we always keep the cost down by smuggling in peanut M&M's from the Dollar Store and lugging along special anniversary mugs bought at the theater more than 25 years ago because they have a lifetime $1 charge for soft drinks.
Understandably, we haven't been to the movies since the world turned upside down and when we'll be able to sit down in a theater again is anybody's guess.
But I've got my fingers crossed that as the weather improves we just may have a chance to catch a movie or two at one of our favorite Upper Valley venues. I have no idea if it will be opening, or if there are any new releases in the can, but I promise you if the Fairlee Drive In opens I'll gladly scrape the rust off my wallet and pay a premium to get out of the house to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark yet again, or Top Gun, Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, or you name it. And I promise not to leave my car!
Oh, and in case you are wondering, that really is a combination motel and drive-in theater. It's 20 miles north of Dartmouth in Fairlee, Vt. I'm guessing they won't be opening but I can dream, can't I?
